


The Feeling's Mutual

by hoshi (ladylune)



Series: Sheith Week 2k16 [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blushy Keith, Blushy Shiro, First Meetings, Hunk is a St. Bernard, Lance is a Labrador, M/M, Meet-Cute, Pre-Slash, bc of each other bc they gay af for each other, ft. Pidge as Keith's matchmaker roommate, shiro and keith's dogs, the dog park meet-cute no one asked for, yes theyre dogs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-08-11 03:22:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7874242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladylune/pseuds/hoshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>for #SheithWeek Day 5: Animals</p><p>“Sorry about that.”</p><p>The sincere tone coming from the unfamiliar voice made him turn reflexively only to curse himself when he came face to face with the Lab’s owner. And God, the man was even more ridiculously attractive up close? How was this fair?</p><p>“You looked a little nervous there, but I swear, my dog is really friendly and really well trained even though he looks like a huge goofball,” the man smiled, fond and far away, as if he were remembering a memory.</p><p>Keith had never felt the urge to turn away and shriek into a pillow, until now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Feeling's Mutual

**Author's Note:**

> *heavy sighs* im late, but pls have this meet-cute. i went through like??? 5??? different story ideas before i settled on this one?? orz anyways, pre-relationship sheith fluff here you g— what do you mean you didn't order any... ah, well take it anyways, it's on the house.
> 
>  **Warning(s):** UN-BETA'D, excitable big dogs, Pidge's meddling ways, keith's thoughts lmao  
>  **Disclaimer:** me don't own V:LD

—X—

 

 

“Lance! Wait! Hold on!” Shiro yelled as the Labrador pulled incessantly at the leash. “Can you just—” he yelped when the dog turned onto him and suddenly jumped, tail wiggling furiously as he slobbered all over Shiro's shirt.

He tried to keep a firm face on, knowing that the dog would just continue to misbehave if he didn't discipline him, but the brown Lab immediately switched to whines and puppy dog faces that Shiro couldn't help but laugh at. “You're ridiculous, you know that,” he complained, using his free hand to scratch the dog behind the ears. “Now come on. Sit!” He made sure to use his ‘Alpha Voice’, smiling proudly when Lance immediately sat himself down, pink tongue unfurling out of one side of his mouth.

Shiro finished gathering the fallen treats off the floor of his car and stowed them all away in the container he had brought before packing it all up in the doggy backpack he had strapped onto Lance’s body. Locking the door behind him, he turned back to his dog with a wide smile, “Okay, are you ready?”

Lance gave a loud bark that Shiro nodded approvingly at and then they were off toward the dog park.

 

.

 

When Keith had been invited to volunteer at the animal shelter, Pidge had expected him to say no in the way that he usually did when he was invited places.

Hours later, he walked out with new adoption papers and a leash that was attached to a huge St. Bernard, held loosely in one hand. Pidge gave him a look when he returned with the great beast, but Keith had just shrugged and gestured to the dog, “His name is Hunk.”

Despite her earlier misgivings about the dog, she couldn't say that she hated him. Hunk had become what Keith had basically become to her, aka a treasured and loyal friend who she knew would probably sigh but still bail her out of jail if she needed it (how Hunk would do that, she didn’t know—but it was pretty fun to imagine).

She had worried at first, because honestly, Hunk was nothing but _huge_. But as more time went by, she was quick to figure out that the dog was probably only big because he had an even bigger heart to house. The only problem she had with him was when he would get into her stuff, but he was quick to roll over and whine guiltily when she lectured him so she wasn't too bothered. Besides, it wasn't as if Hunk had ever actually ruined her things. He just had a tendency to steal granola bars from her backpack every now and again—she could deal with that.

She didn't quite know how accepting the dog equated with her coming with them to the dog park, but she wasn't going to complain when there was such a strong free Wi-Fi signal nearby. By the fifth or sixth time she had tagged along with them on their Saturday morning outings, she already had a preferred side of the picnic table and an extra tote bag that stored all the water and snacks necessary for her productivity and Hunk’s never ending garbage chute of a stomach.

 

.

 

This particular Saturday wasn't any different from their other Saturday's at the park, but then Keith murmured a quiet “He’s new,” that had Pidge perking up.

“Who?” She asked, turning from Keith to the big gate that sectioned off this part of the park from the others.

Keith just nodded just in time for Pidge to catch a man walking in, his excitable dog trotting by his side. They were too far away for them to really see what they looked like, but—Pidge squinted at the dog, “Maybe a Great Dane?”

Keith shook his head, “Labrador.”

Pidge blinked, “How’d you guess that?”

Keith gave a sharp nod, “His arm,” he said, “it's a prosthetic; the dog’s most likely a service dog.”

This time, Pidge took her time in staring and when the sun caught and made something big and metallic glint, she let out a soft, “Oh.”

They continued to stare unabashedly along with the other park regulars. They were all unused to seeing a newcomer considering that this park was small and was nestled in a tight knit residential community. It was also with a degree of curiosity and wariness for their dogs that had everyone watching closely; after all, all it took for something to go wrong was one aggressive dog.

When the man got closer though, Pidge saw the ripple of change from wariness to just downright staring because “Wow, I thought guys with facial scars like his only looked good in animes.” She turned to ask Keith what he thought only to find him blushing (an uncommon sight for someone who was usually so unruffled) and after a second, her baffled expression twisted into a smirk.

Keith immediately glared at her, shoulders tensing, “Pidge,” he warned.

“Guess I don't have to ask you about what you think of his looks,” she teased, “seems like the great Keith Kogane _can_ appreciate attractive people, after all!”

“Pidge,” he said again, but it came out strangled as his blush deepened to match the color of his jacket.

“Don't worry Keith,” she said, patting his arm, “in your defense, it's really rare for anyone to have a face that symmetrical so I'm not surprised you find him attractive. And with arms like that,” she grinned, “it's a miracle your gay little heart can even handle it.”

Keith opened his mouth—probably to yell at her, but before he could a familiar bark cut through the air. They both turned because that was _Hunk_ and while he was usually good with other dogs, the same couldn't be said about the chocolate Labrador that the unfairly attractive man had just let loose.

Keith stood up, worry creasing his brows and fists clenched at his side as he watched the two dogs circle each other, but then Hunk licked the Lab’s face and the two pounced at each other like they were old friends who were having the reunion of a lifetime. Little by little, Keith forced himself to relax, and by the time the two dogs were rolling around together, he had all but gotten his heart under control.

Until—

“Sorry about that.”

The sincere tone coming from the unfamiliar voice made him turn reflexively only to curse himself when he came face to face with the Lab’s owner. And God, the man was even _more_ ridiculously attractive _up close_? How was this fair?

“You looked a little nervous there, but I swear, my dog is really friendly and really well trained even though he looks like a huge goofball,” the man smiled, fond and far away, as if he were remembering a memory.

Keith had never felt the urge to turn away and shriek into a pillow, until now.

“Oh no worries,” he heard Pidge say, the smugness in her tone not lost on Keith who only managed a weak warning glare. “Our dog, the St. Bernard—he’s really friendly too and that sometimes gets him in trouble, if you know what I mean.”

The man laughed, a low, delighted sound, and Keith had to grip onto the edge of the table to stay upright as he stared.

“Oh, I know exactly what you mean,” he said, before holding out his hand to Pidge, “I'm Shiro by the way. Well, my real name is Takashi, but only my mom calls me that these days.”

Pidge beamed up at him, taking his hand and shaking it firmly. “Katie! But my friends call me Pidge. And,” she turned, sending a devious smile that he caught sight of out of the corner of his eye, “this is my roommate, Keith.”

Shiro turned to him, gray eyes kind and ridiculously pretty from underneath his sweeping lashes. He held out his hand to Keith, “Shiro,” he said with a smile that showed off perfect white teeth.

Keith weakly held up his own hand, mentally chanted ‘stay cool, stay cool!’ to himself, and nodded.

Then started growing uncomfortable after a couple of minutes of just standing there because—uh—he was supposed to—he looked down and when he realized, he couldn't grasp the man's awaiting hand fast enough.

“Oh my God,” he blurted out, furiously blushing as he stared at their now shaking hands in horror. What the hell kind of idiot got distracted by someone's looks enough to completely forgot the whole shaking hand part of the introductions—what the hell kind of idiot _was_ he—

Shiro laughed again, the sound bright and all encompassing—so much so that when Keith looked up, he had to remind himself to breathe at the sight the other man made. _Happiness looked extremely good on him_ , was Keith’s first thought, and then he had to lick his lips when a smaller part of his brain whispered— _and probably everything else as well, including our bed sheets…_

“S-Sorry,” he stuttered, swallowing to clear his suddenly parched throat.

Shiro shook his head, “It’s okay, _really_ ,” he said with chuckles escaping him in between every word.

Thankfully, at that point, Pidge had decided that she had gotten enough blackmail and invited Shiro to sit with them. Keith more or less flopped into his own seat, legs unsteady as he resisted the urge to just start repeatedly hitting his head on the table.

Pidge said something and Shiro burst into another beautiful laugh and— _God_ , Keith thought as he drank in the sight the man made just _sitting_ there, _help me_.

 

.

 

“It seems like our dogs like each other,” Shiro said as he watched Lance and Hunk trot side-by-side. Pidge, who was not at all subtle with the looks she threw at Keith, led their weird procession through the dog park parking lot—the younger woman practically demanding that he do something to make sure that they would meet up with Shiro again, with her eyes.

“Ah, there’s our car,” Shiro called out, nodding when Pidge pointed to the black Land Rover. Then he turned back to Keith and this was it—this was the perfect time to ask if he was going to come around to the park again and maybe they could match schedules so their dogs could play together again and come on Keith, say something—

“Can I have your number!”

Keith blinked in surprise, open mouth clicking shut as he stared wide-eyed at the now blushing man. “Uh…” he stammered, his mind pulling an absolute blank because, _is this actually happening, right now?_

Shiro started looking panicky, laughing nervously as he went on a tirade about “maybe meeting up again—for the dogs, you know!” and blushing harder and harder with every word that left his mouth. He had just started talking about the new dog café that had opened up in town and how maybe they could go together “—WITH OUR DOGS!” when Keith reached out to place a hand on the man’s shoulder.

Shiro immediately fell silent and stared, looking so sad and hopeless but still managing to look so good doing it, that Keith couldn’t help but smile. “Do you have a pen and paper, or?”

It took a second, but when it registered to Shiro what Keith was trying to do, he couldn’t reach into his pocket to grab his phone fast enough. From Shiro’s phone, Keith dialed his own phone and pressed the call button, waiting until his device vibrated before ending the call and giving it back. “There,” he said, “now you have my number and I have your’s.” He smiled, “And yes to all of what you said, we should definitely hang out some time.” He paused before adding a slow, “With our dogs,” that made Shiro bring up his phone and briefly try to hide behind it with a groan.

Keith grinned and tried to hide the fact that his own heart was currently doing somersaults in his stomach. “I’ll see you around?” He asked.

Shiro pulled himself out of his embarrassment enough to send him a radiant smile and a nod, “Yeah, definitely.”

 

.

 

He stood with Pidge and Hunk as Shiro’s car faded into the distance.

“How are you feeling right now on a scale of one to ‘I want to shriek excitedly into my phone on the way home’?”

Keith glared weakly at her, “I don’t shriek. I man-shout. I’m going to man-shout excitedly into my phone on the way home.”

She snickered but held up her hand to which Keith slapped the car keys into with a heavy sigh.

“You’ve _definitely_ got it bad,” she commented.

Keith could only snort, “Tell me something I don’t know.”

 

 

—X—

**Author's Note:**

> *waves flag* you made it :'D
> 
> kudos are highly appreciated and comments never fail to make my day  
> come say hi on **[twitter](https://twitter.com/hoshiwrites)** | **[tumblr](http://hoshiwrites.tumblr.com/)**
> 
> && thanks for reading~


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